Despite 2-4 record, Chargers still in thick of AFC West race

If someone told you back in August that after six weeks of the 2019 season, the Los Angeles Chargers would be in last place in the division, what would you have said?

You likely would not have believed it possible, as big things were expected from the team. However, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish.

The Chargers are reeling following back-to-back losses, but the season is far from over. So for the time being, we can shelve the gloom and doom talk and save that for fans of the Kansas City Chiefs, who have also lost two games in a row.

Two weeks ago, we were asking if the Chiefs had already won the division after a quick 4-0 start. But between the beatings that the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans handed them, in which both teams ran the ball right down the Chiefs’ throat and both defenses got after Patrick Mahomes, teams now have the blueprint to beat Kansas City.

Not only did those two teams show that the Chiefs are beatable, but they also might not even be that good.

The AFC West is a strange race so far but does anyone aside from Jon Gruden and Mark Davis believe the Oakland Raiders will finish in first place? What about the Denver Broncos, who started the year 0-4?

The Chargers have their issues, but they are far from out of the divisional race. Now, if you want to see the team go far in the playoffs, that might be another story, but winning the division is still feasible. Now, a loss to the Tennessee Titans this Sunday could certainly change that thought.

It will take a great coaching effort from Anthony Lynn and his staff. The team needs to realize how bad the offensive line is and find a way to hide it, much in the same way the Chiefs will have to figure out how to protect Mahomes and at least slow down the opposition’s rushing attack.

The Chiefs and Broncos will square off in a key matchup on Thursday Night Football. The Chargers will be interested spectators. If Denver were to win that game, the division race becomes even closer as the Chiefs would be 4-3. A win over the Titans on Sunday would bring the Chargers back to 3-4.

Unless you believe in the Raiders.

It’s easy to get into panic mode after two embarrassing losses that most fans counted as automatic wins, but at the end of the day, a two-game difference in the standings when it is just mid-October is far from insurmountable.